20 lire value: Value and Quotation of Rare Italian 20 Lire

The coins shown in the image above are all the existing 20 Italian lire coins, differing in appearance because they were minted with different and various metals. The 20 Italian Lire minted in gold are also known as Marengo d'oro, which we have described in detail in this article: Marengo.

Now let's look at the 20 lire that are among the rarest, which are certainly those from the reigns of Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I.

The 20 Gold Lire of Vittorio Emanuele II

Produced in a particular historical moment and in a very small quantity.

The 20 Lire of Vittorio Emanuele II were minted by different Mints between 1861 and 1870:

• The first minting occurred in 1861 at the Mint of Turin, continuing the production of the 20 Lire until 1870.
• The 20 lire minted in Rome from 1870 to 1878 are also rare.
• In Milan, however, from 1872 until the year 1875.

On the obverse of the coin is the head of Vittorio Emanuele, while on the reverse we find the Savoy coat of arms surrounded by oak branches and the inscription “Regno d'Italia“.

The coin is made of 900/1000 gold and weighs 6.45 grams.

This marengo d'oro was indeed minted in 1861, precisely on the occasion of the beginning of the Kingdom of Italy.

Only 3,427 specimens were minted in Turin, making their value both historical and material.

The Value of the 20 Gold Lire of Vittorio Emanuele II

• The value of the 20 Italian gold lire coin from 1861, considering the current quotation and evaluation, ranges from €700 to €1000, depending on the state of preservation.

20 Lira gold coin featuring Umberto I, also known as Marengo of Umberto I

It depicts King Umberto I and was minted for the first time from 1879 until 1897.

• Diameter: 21 mm
• Edge: reeded
• Material: gold 900/1000
• Weight: 6.45g

But how much can they be worth?

• Twenty Lire 1879 C in BU is worth €250
• Twenty Lire 1883 R in BU can be worth €2,990
• Those classified as Rare R2 are from 1884, with a mintage of 9,775 pieces, and can be worth €1,600 in BU
• The twenty Lire from 1885, also in BU, are worth €1,850
• On the other hand, the twenty Lire from 1897 in BU have a value of €399

The 20 Lire Vittorio Emanuele III come in different types:

• Savoy Eagle
• Plowwoman
• Fascio
• Lictor
• Helmet
• Golden Cap
• Empire

Undoubtedly, the 20 Lire PROOF coins have a significantly higher value, which can reach very high prices depending on the variant!

20 Lire Savoy Eagle

Another marengo dedicated to Vittorio Emanuele III, the gold twenty lire Savoy Eagle features the head of the King without a crown on the obverse and the depiction of the heraldic eagle on the reverse. Minted between 1902/1905.

20 Lire Plowwoman

The 20 Lire Plowwoman in gold features the King in uniform in profile on the front and the plowwoman, representing Italy, on the reverse. Minted between 1910/1912. Read also Marengo d'oro.

20 Lire Fascio

The commemorative Marengo for the anniversary of the March on Rome. The 20 Lire Fascio was minted in 1922, depicting Vittorio Emanuele III without a crown and uniform, while the reverse shows the fascio littorio with the head of a ram.

Value | 20 Lire Fascio PROVA

• On November 10, 2010, a very rare PROOF specimen of the twenty Lire Fascio coin in BU was auctioned for €9,500

20 Lire Lictor 1927

The 20 Lire Lictor 1927 is a coin from the fascist era.

Minted between 1927 and 1928, it features the head of King Vittorio Emanuele III without a crown facing right. The reverse depicts the Lictor with the fascio giving the Roman salute to allegorical Italy seated.

• Material: Silver 800/1000
• Diameter: 35.5 mm
• Weight: 15 g
• Edge: Striped

Value | 20 Lire Lictor PROVA

The PROOF version of the twenty Lire Lictor is classified as R4 or R3, in any case, it has a very high value, as demonstrated by the auctions:

• On October 15, 2010, an R4 specimen of twenty Lire PROOF Lictor from 1927 in BU was sold for €16,520
• Equally notable was the coin with the inscription PROOF DI STAMPA of twenty lire from 1927 R3 sold for €11,800 on April 4, 2017
• Or a variant of the twenty lire lictor PROOF in BU from 1928 R4, with the inscription on the left and retouches on the neck and forehead, sold for €12,650 on October 23, 2010.

20 Lire 1928 Helmet GOLD – PROOF

The 20 Lire 1928 Helmet GOLD – PROOF R5 are extremely rare, made of gold to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the First World War.

The 20 Lire Helmet GOLD PROOF made in 1928 features the head of King Vittorio Emanuele III facing left on the obverse, while the reverse has the inscription arranged in 6 lines:

MEGLIO.VIVERE.
VN.GIORNO.DA
LEONE.CHE.
CENTO ANNI.
DA.PECO-
RA –

• Material: Gold
• Diameter: 35.5 mm
• Weight: 32.25 g
• Edge: Striped

Value 20 Lire 1928 GOLD – PROOF

• On October 29, 2011, an R5 specimen of twenty Lire 1928 GOLD PROOF in BU was auctioned for €151,800
• On October 11, 2009, an R5 coin of twenty Lire 1928 GOLD PROOF, also in BU, was sold for €129,950

20 Lire Cap

This is an R4 proof specimen made of silver.

On the front, as with the gold version, the King Vittorio Emanuele III is depicted wearing a helmet looking to the left.

On the reverse, below the head of the lion, the inscription FIRST / PROOF appears on two slightly staggered lines. Other proofs show the inscription on 6 lines: MEGLIO VIVERE.VN. GIORNO.DA LEONE.CHE. CENTO ANNI. DA.PECO- RA and the inscription 2^ PROOF in the upper right, or below the mouth of the lion.

• Material: Silver 600
• Diameter: 35.5 mm
• Weight: 20 g
• Edge: Striped

Value | 20 Lire Cap – FIRST PROOF

The numismatic value of these proofs is extremely high, and the examples listed below are just a few:

• On May 31, a Cap FIRST PROOF without a date R4 in BU was purchased at auction for €12,200
• Another specimen of FIRST PROOF without a date BU and R4 was sold on October 26, 2013, for the sum of €16,675

20 Lire Helmet 1928

Commemorative coin 10 years after the victory of the First World War.

The 20 Lire Helmet or Cap of 1928 features on the obverse the profile of King Vittorio Emanuele III and on the reverse the inscription arranged in 7 lines:

MEGLIO. / VIVERE.VN. / GIORNO.DA / LEONE.CHE. / CENTO ANNI. / DA.PECO- / RA –

• Material: Silver 600/1000
• Weight: 20 g
• Diameter: 35.5 mm
• Edge: Striped

20 Lire Helmet 1928 | Value

20 Lire Empire – Slow Quadriga

The 20 Lire Empire features the bare head of King Vittorio Emanuele III in profile looking to the left on the obverse. The reverse shows the slow quadriga facing right, the depiction of victory seated with the fascio in hand, the mint year, the engraver's signature, and the mint of Rome.

Minted in Rome in 1936 to honor the empire. Issued only for numismatists in 1937 and 1941.

• Material: Silver 800/1000
• Diameter: 35.5 mm
• Weight: 20 g
• Edge: Striped

The PROOF of the twenty lire Empire with slow quadriga is classified as R3 and R4 and bears the inscription PROOF at the top under Italy. Minted in silver in 1936, in nickel in 1939, and in aluminum in 1941.

20 Lire Empire PROOF | Value

• On May 13, 2014, a coin of twenty lire from 1936 in BU classified as R3 with the inscription PROOF was auctioned for €5,664
• On May 9, 2010, a specimen of this coin of twenty lire from 1941 in BU classified as R4 was auctioned for €5,060

The 20 Lire Oak coins minted from 1956 to 1999 are very interesting from the point of view of their peculiarities. In fact, the various years have different features that make them quite unique and sometimes rare coins with very high value.

• The first version of the twenty lire coin of the Italian Republic was minted in bronzital from 1956 to 1959. Ribbed edge.
• From 1960 to 1967, the twenty lire were not minted.
• The second version was minted from 1968 to 1999, then it was replaced by the Euro. Smooth edge.

Both minted versions have the same illustration.

On the obverse, it features an oak branch with four leaves and an acorn. The value, the year of minting, and the symbol of the mint in Rome. On the reverse, there is the head of a woman adorned with ears of corn, surrounded by the inscription REPVBBLICA ITALIANA. Below is the signature of the author Gianpaoli.

The coins from 1956 are classified as 20 Rare Lire, specifically as R2 and R5! Let's find out why!

20 Lire of 1956

A curiosity to know is that all the first coins of 1956 were withdrawn from circulation and most of the specimens were melted down. The reason for this mass withdrawal is unknown. However, the only 2 specimens that escaped the withdrawal are now at the Mint Museum.

However, be careful, even though they have effectively become Rare Twenty Lire, the 2 coins kept by the Mint are not collectible!

It should also be added that some of the coins in question were not melted down but rather given to the mint staff after the letter “P” was engraved below the year of minting.

These 20 lire are among the rarest lire that can be owned. They are classified as R2 and there are only 1,500 of them.

• The value of the twenty lire of 1956 with the letter “P” starts from €500 for BB up to €1,200 for FDC.
• The only 2 specimens of twenty Lire of 1956 without the “P” are R5 and are found at the mint museum.

20 Lire of 1957

What value can the 20 Lire of 1957 have? It depends on the peculiarities of the design, which presents interesting variants. Some may have a thicker base of the 7 or a thicker branch.

• The value of the twenty lire of 1957 C can reach €30 if preserved in FDC.
• However, if the twenty Lire coin of 1957 has the number “seven” with a slightly wider foot, then the value of the twenty lire rises to €50 because it is uncommon NC.
• If instead the twenty Lire coin of 1957 has the wider branch, the coin is uncommon NC and its value is €40.

20 Lire of 1958

How much are the twenty lire of 1958 worth?

• They are common coins; if preserved in FDC, they have a value of €32.
• The twenty Lire of 1958 in qFDC instead are worth €18.

20 Lire of 1959

• The twenty Lire of 1959 in FDC are worth €175.
• In qFDC quality, they are worth €100.
• But if the preservation is BB, the value of the twenty Lire coin of 1959 drops to €1.

The 20 lire 1968

After a 9-year pause, other twenty Lire coins were minted, but with a smooth edge.

Those classified as rare coins are certainly the PROVA coins of 1968.

• The twenty Lire 1968 with the inscription PROVA are classified as R2 and 999 were minted; the value of one of these specimens in FDC is €1,000.
• Instead, the twenty Lire coins of 1968 without the proof inscription are common C and their value in FDC quality is €75.

The 20 lire of 1970

The twenty Lire of 1970 are of two types; the first type is the common one with the R of the mint, and then there is the second type, resulting from a probable minting error, which has the letter P instead of the R.

The rare lire of 1970 with the letter “P” are more sought after and therefore their value is higher.

• Twenty Lire of 1970 with the “R” has a value of about €2.
• The rare lire of 1970 with the letter “P” have a value of about €80 in FDC.

20 Lire of 1974

Some are classified as Uncommon because they were minted with a white alloy.

• The twenty Lire 1974 White Alloy NC in FDC quality are worth €100.
• Instead, common twenty lire 1974 C in FDC have a value of about €1.

20 Lire of 1980

These twenty lire of 1980 have the peculiarity that some may have the oak branch on both sides, a clear minting error.

The twenty Lire coin of 1980 with the oak branch on the front and back in FDC quality is worth €100.

Table and Values

If the twenty lire is just the piece missing from your collection, or if you want to have a specimen due to its historical value, you can easily buy a twenty lire coin at auction on this site. Check if you find the coin you are looking for, then register and make an offer right away. We have explained in detail how to manage a coin auction on this page.

We also discussed the value of the 20 Lire and rare lire in this article: “The Rare Lire“.

Didn't find what you were looking for? Check out these topics on lire:

• Here you can learn everything about the 1 lira coin, 2 lire, 5 lire, rare 10 lire, 20 lire, and 50 lire.
• The 10 centesimi of lira are here, the 20 centesimi here, and here are the rare 50 centesimi of lira.
• If you are looking for the 1 centesimo of lira coin, look here and here for the rare 2 centesimi of lira and the 5 centesimi of lira.
• If you want info on the 100 lire and their value, you can find it here, as well as that of the 1000 Lire of the Italian Republic.
• We have covered the 200 lire and their value here.
• We talked about the Telephone Tokens that were worth 200 lire on this page.
• We also discussed the 500 lire in silver, the 500 bimetallic lire, and the 500 paper lire
  
• For German-speaking collectors, we have created a dedicated version of the catalog of rare coins found here “MoneteRare Deutschland”.